A word from the wife:
Well, I guess no one is more qualified to talk about Charlie Tygard than his wife of 38 years. He can be the most energetic, amiable person in the world. Ten minutes later, he is in very deep in thought and you can’t get his attention. At family dinners, he very frequently is the quietest person at the table. Just an hour earlier, he was juggling calls from constituents, sports personalities, and a tax client.
What makes Charlie tick ?
Well, first: He has more energy than any three other people. He can wake up at 6:00, plant flowers, make three speeches, and still have time for the grandchild whom he’s babysitting for the next hour. Second, he is equally at home talking to a Senator or a farmer on River Road. He appeals to the masses. Third, people know that he just wants to make a difference in his hometown. They know that he is not looking for higher office, a government permanent job, or glory. Fourth, he is smart. Not just street smart. Smart as in able to grasp issues and re-word it to make sure that he is understanding what somebody is saying. Smart in that he knows which department handles which inquiry and when there is an issue that really no one handles and is a lose/lose for everybody. Fifth, he is frequently the person that starts a wheel rolling. Some of us will take an office in an ongoing organization that started forty years ago. Like my being Treasurer of the Bellevue Womans Club. Charlie is the kind that sees a need or a concept and starts the whole Organization. He has done this many times. Examples include recylcling in Bellevue, the Bellevue Bootsters at Bellevue Middle School, little girls Basketball in Bellevue, and currently, the Bell (Bellevue Edible Learning Laboratory). Now those take a lot of thought, energy, insight, and implementation.
So you decide … do you want somebody being one of your five Council at Large representatives that is just looking for his/her name in print ? Or do you want someone who cares for your city, has an impressive record of service to the City and other organizations, and is not a political person but rather a Community Activist ?
Now if you’re looking for a political hack, then please do not vote for Charlie Tygard because he is not that. If you want a Councilman that thinks on his own but gives both sides of the issue a day in court, then you will vote for Charlie Tygard. Charlie is a free thinker – that means that he listens, uses common sense, talks to people who have knowledge of the issue, and then makes a decision. But why listen to me ? I’m not that objective because, after all, I’ve only been married to him 38 years !
